5 shows to know from Tokyo Fashion Week

Last week saw the return of designers to the Tokyo Fashion Week runways, for the first time since disaster struck Japan earlier this year. The week was Tokyo's first under IMG's ownership (so technically the event was Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Tokyo), and the new guys upstairs oversaw a much expanded programme.

While many Japanese designers are global household names, most of the country's established labels like Comme Des Garcons, Yohji Yamamoto and Issey Mikyake showed earlier this month at Paris Fashion Week. Indeed, there's an ongoing symbiosis between Tokyo and Paris that sees significant amounts of Japanese talent syphoned into the French capital. That is not to say, however, that there is nothing left in Japan. Particularly in the streetwear stakes, new design talent is emerging all the time.

Here are five shows to know from Tokyo.

FurFur
The DL: Straight from subculture, the 11 year old fashion realisation of the 'forest girl' look.
What it looked like: Intense layered netting, reportedly self styled, in an elaborate, floral setting.

NeNet
The DL: Clever kitschery from ex-Issey employee Kazuaki Takashima, founded in 2006.
What it looked like: If Garfunkel and Oates were asked to design the costumes for a TV show set at a high school in the early nineties, but actually good.

Jenny Fax
The DL: One half of an already known Otaku (anime obsessive) brand launches out on her own.
What it looked like: If Meadham Kirchoff were super-duper earnest, intensely sincere and even more unhinged.

Eri Matsui
The DL: Math inspired designer works with sci-fi themes like a formal gown that can be worn in space.
What it looked like: A very literal, beautiful, ball gown response to Japan's recent struggles, with nuclear luminescence and richter scale prints.

Mintdesigns
The DL: 10th anniversary of a label that focuses on pretty prints and well crafted textiles.
What is looked like: Exactly like you'd imagine.

For a far more in-depth view of Tokyo Fashion Week (and some seriously inspired personal style) check out bi-lingual American ex-pat Misha Janette's Tokyo Fashion Diaries.

Images via IMG.